Leather belts are typically made by cutting an appropriately sized piece of leather into a desired belt shape and length from a larger piece of leather, punching holes in the belt, and sometimes adding a buckle having an arm which extends through a hole in the belt. Depending on the grade and natural coloring of the leather used to form the belt, it may also be necessary to paint or die the belt edges to provide an appealing color.
The cutting process used to cut individual belts from larger pieces of leather typically leaves rough edges. Thus, the rough belt edges are generally burnished or smoothed to eliminate the roughness left by the cutting.
Burnishing can be accomplished by rubbing or buffing the rough edges of the belt in a certain direction. The rubbing or buffing operation forces the leather fibers to run in the direction of the rubbing or buffing operation, thus smoothing the edge. Wax may also be applied to the belt edges to further smooth the roughness and finish the edge.
Different grades and styles of leather have different leather fiber characteristics and thus require different degrees of burnishing. Thus, it may desirable to perform an initial rough buffing operation to remove larger chips or deformities in the belt edge, followed by a polishing operation to further smooth the belt edge.
Prior art machines for treating leather belts typically are configured to work on only one belt at a time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,734,365 issued to Collins discloses a machine for treating belts comprising a frame having a base and a table supported above the base which also supports a conveyor chain. The conveyor chain is mounted among sprocket wheels which in turn are mounted on shafts journaled in upright members. The device for receiving and starting a belt in the machine comprises a pair of plates spaced from each other a sufficient distance to allow a belt to pass therebetween. The belt is passed through a pair of burnishing wheels which are driven at a much higher rate of speed than the passing belt, thereby giving a polish to the edges of the belt. The machine also provides an operation for dying or coloring the edges of the belt. However, only one belt at a time can be fed through this machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,827 issued to Zwanzig discloses a machine for performing finishing operations on the edges or margins of a belt. Belts are introduced into this machine between rotating cutters arranged on spindles and driven by electric motors. The cutters operate on the hair side of the belt and braiding discs operate on the innerside of the belt to remove chips and dust from the belt. The belt is then colored or dyed and the belts are dried either by electricity or by using heated gas. Finally, the belt enters between slides which carry waxing felt blocks and polishing blocks. In this manner, the belt edges are waxed and ejected from the machine. This machine also is configured to accommodate only one belt at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,664,732 issued to Tuck discloses a machine for automatically producing belts which bevels or trims the edges of the belt, punches holes in the belt to provide buckle reception slots and suitably spaced buckle tongue engagable holes in the belt, embosses or scores the face of the belt, and stamps the belt with size and suitable descriptive or other indicia. The machine comprises a plurality of work treating stations and a table for moving the belt from workstation to workstation, comprising a plurality of spaced guide structures mounted on and above the work supporting table and extending across the table. This machine is configured to operate on one belt at a time.
While the above-mentioned devices may work for their intended purposes, none of these devices are capable of burnishing a plurality of belts simultaneously to speed up the belt production process. Extended production time means additional cost of manufacture, which typically increases cost to the consumer. It is thus apparent that there is a need for an improved belt edge burnishing machine which can work on a plurality of belts simultaneously.
An object of the present invention is to provide a belt edge burnishing machine which can work on a plurality of belts simultaneously.